Boiler cleaner



Sept. 12, 1933. SNQW 1,926,248

BOILER CLEANER Original Filed Feb. 11, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet l N. L. SNOW BOILER CLEANER Sept. 12, 1933.

Original Filed Feb. 11, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 35 pipe E to the blower pipe'D is also controlled is controlled by valve G The header G is also Patented Sept. 12, 1933 1 92 24 BOILER. CLEANER Norman L. Snow, New Canaan, 001111., assignor to Diamond Power Specialty Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application February 11, 1924, Serial No. 692,094

Renewed February 11, 1932 h Claims. (Cl. 122----392) h This invention relates to boiler cleaners and which is very hard to remove. The removal of among the objects of the invention are to prothis slag from the tubes is aided, in the present vide an improved apparatus for and method of construction, byan arrangement for adding to,

cleaning boilers. h or substituting for, the regular fluid used in the 5 In the drawings, in which I illustrate one emsoot, blower, some other ingredientwhich has a .60

bodiment of my invention: more powerful action on theslag than does the Figure 1 is a side elevational view partly in regular cleaning ,fluid. The blowing fluid may section showing one form of my invention ap be steam or air and the material added to or plied to a boiler; substituted therefor might be water or some 10 Figure 2 is an enlarged elevational view of chemical which rapidly attacks the slag such as part of the boiler cleaning mechanism shown in sodium silicate solution. These materials have Fig. 1; 7 been found to be very effective in the removal Figure 3 is an elevational view taken at right of slag when added to the regular cleaning fluid angles to Fig. 2. such as steam or air. Applicant has provided a 15 Describing first in detail the general arrangeconstruction wherein water, or whatever slag 7 ment illustrated in Fig. l, A'designates a boiler, removing solution may be found most desirable, which in the particular construction shown is of is added to the regular cleaning fluid in any de the Stirling type, having upper drums B consired proportions. The proportion of the liquid nected to the lower drum B by means of boiler added, may be varied in accordance with, the. 2% tubes C. For cleaning the soot, slag or the like character of the deposits to be removed. Thus,

from off the boiler tubes there is preferably, emstarting with saturated steam, such as would be ployed a blower pipe or cleaning element D havavailable-at the boiler drum in Figure 1, liquid ing a plurality of nozzles D throughwhich jets might be introduced until the cleaning fluid of cleaning fluid such as steam or air are dispossessed the characteristics of very wet steam, 5 charged to cleanthe soot or other deposits or or even up to the point where thefluid was pracaccumulations from the boiler tubes 0. tically all water.

A steam connection to the blower pipe is pro- This additional material could be introduced vided by means of the verticalpipe or header E into the supply line to the soot blower in vaconnected to the steam space of the boiler, which rious ways but in the illustrative construction 39 connection is controlled by, a main valve E, shown it is introduced as follows: Leading into there being a drain valve E at the lower end the head E above the steam control valve'F is of this header. A branch supply pipe E is cona pipe G connected to a vertical header G nected to the head E in which the blower pipe which at its lower end has a connection G- D is swivelled. The supply of steam from the leading to thewater drum B which connection by valve F which is actuated by a suitable connected to a pump H by means of a pipe line mechanism such as the cam F adjustably fixed H controlledby a valve H which pump in turn on the front face of gear 15 by brackets 15' for is connected to a supply tank H which contains I depressing trigger 10, the latter being pivotally a solution of sodium silicate or other desired subk supported on bolt 11. This trigger is engageable stance. The connection between the pipe G with the valve stem 12 of the Valve F for actuatand the head E is controlled by a valve I which ing the same so as tohave the valve open when in turn is actuated by a cam J likewise adjust the nozzles D are pointed in certain predeably fixed to the gear 15 on the face thereof termined directions. The actuation of the valve opposite to that carrying the cam F'. This cam 45 F and the rotation of the blower pipe D are both, depresses the valve stem 1 of thevalve I by in the particular construction shown, produced means of a trigger J also pivotally supported on by pulling the chain F so as to rotate sheave 13 the bolt 11 and provided with the shoulder I and pinion 14, the latter meshing with the gear offset for engagement with the valve stem I. r 15. Rotation of this gear causes rotation of the By properly setting the cams J and F rotatively cam F flxed therewith, the cam depressing trigin their brackets 15 the exact time at whichthe ger 10 to unseat valve F. If desired, the valve F fluid through the pipe G is admitted to the could be actuated from any other suitable power blower pipe can be properly governed. applying means. One method of operation would be that the In addition to the deposit of soot on the boiler steam valve F is opened first so that the velocity 10 tubes, there is also formed in many cases a slag of the steam from the steam connection E 7 causeof the very large temperature change.

would pick up the liquid as it is admitted after the liquid valve I is open. Another advantage in first introducing steam has to do with the rate at which the blower element is cooled when cleaning fluid is admitted thereto. At the point where slag formations ordinarily occur, temperatures are very high and a blower element located at such a point would be subjected to quite high temperatures. If water were suddenly introduced into an element so located, the damage or warpage would be very great bey first introducing the steam, followed'by the mix ture of steam and liquid, the. temperature change would be accomplished gradually and with greatly reduced shock to the blowerelement. A further advantage of the primary introduction of steam lies in the possibility of first blowing off pipe G when the valve G is opened, which because of the pressure in the boiler would be forced up through the header G to the valveI, or it might be the liquid from the tank H forced up through the header G when the valve H is opened and the pump H running or it 1 might be both when thevalves G and H were open. I

As shown in Fig. 3 the head or gooseneck E is provided with an aperture K through which is inserted a removable orifice plate L having an orifice L of the desired cross-section. This plate is secured in position by means of a plate, M clamped to. the head E by means of set screws N. By this novel arrangement the in- If terior passages of the gooseneck or head E can be made of any desired size and the passage restricted to the desired'diameter or cross-sectional opening by means of the orifice plate which can be readily removed and a different ,1 one substituted if desired. It will be noted that the removable orifice plate K is located. beyond the valves F and I. While I have shown this removable orifice as located in the head E it of course could be placed in the rotating pipe D or in other desired positions in advance of the discharge openingsor nozzles D.

While I have shown and described one illustrative construction in which there is a combi nation of two liquid supply sources with one steam supply source, it is understood that the invention is not limited to such combination as a single source of liquid supply or any number,

or a source of cleaning fluid other than steam, or a cleaning substance other than a liquid,

might be employed and various other changes 1? both in the construction and method of opera tion could be made without departing from the scope of my invention in its broader aspects.

For the sake of convenience the invention has I been described as being embodied in a device for cleaning parts of a boiler. It will be apparent, however, that the invention may be incorporated in devices for cleaning similar types of apparatuses, and it is to be therefore understood that the term boiler wherever used in the specification and claims is to be construed as meaning a fluid heater or heat transfer apparatus of any character, while the term boiler cleaner is to be construed as meaning a cleaner for any such apparatus.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a boiler cleaner for removing slag, a rotatable blower element providedwith a nozzle adapted to discharge a jet of fluid adjacent parts of the boiler to' be cleaned of slag, means for imparting rotation to said nozzle, a, valve controlled cleaning fluid supply pipe communijcating with said blower element, a second valve controlled pipe for conducting a second cleaning substance to said blower element, and means actuated by said rotating means for controlling the movement of said valves in a predetermined relative timed relation.

2. In a boiler cleaner, a blower element, a

plurality of pipes for supplying cleaning fluids to said blower element, a valve associated with each pipe for controlling the flow of cleaning fluid from its respective pipe to the blower element, and means automatically operating to actuate said valves according to a predetermined desired sequence to admit cleaning fluid from said pipes to said blower element according to aity of sources of supply of cleaning fluid under pressure, a control means operatively associated with ,each source of supply of cleaning fluid for controlling the flow of cleaning fluid therefrom to the blower element, and means operating to actuate said control means according to a predetermined desired sequence whereby clean ng fluids are admitted to said blower element from said sources of supply according to a desired sequence.

5. In combination; a blower element, means for supplying a cleaning fluid to said blower element, and means operating to supply a second cleaning fluid to said blower element in a predetermined sequence with respect to the supply of said firstmentioned cleaning fluid, said last mentioned means being operable irrespective of the supply of said first mentioned cleaning fluid to the blower element.

' NORMAN L. SNOW. 

